Trump breaks royal protocol as he welcomes King Charles to the White House
Donald Trump broke royal protocol during King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the White House, tapping the King on the shoulder — a breach of an unwritten Royal rule
Trump was seen initiating contact with the King, breaking royal protocol
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House on Monday, marking the first day of their state visit.
However, it wasn’t long before the US president breached royal protocol.
Upon landing in the US, the royal couple arrived at the South Lawn of the White House for a reception, where they were greeted by the President and posed for photographs.
Donald Trump offered the King a firm handshake, while the First Lady planted a kiss on both cheeks of the Queen – the couples then posed for photos as they exchanged pleasantries.
After the photo session, they turned to head inside the main residence of the White House for a garden party. As Trump pivoted to lead the way, he gave the King a pat on the shoulder.
This gesture violated royal protocol, infringing the unwritten rule that one should never initiate physical contact.
While the touch could be interpreted as a sign of affection, body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: “This touch on the arm as they walked in also looked like a more political gesture.
“It was also the first real gesture of active, ‘special’ friendship here from a rather more subdued Trump than the very effusive rituals we saw during their last meeting [in September 2025].”
James further noted that the King did not appear bothered by this breach of protocol.
“Charles has always seemed more relaxed about that than his mother [Queen Elizabeth II], and Trump’s gesture was extremely tempered for Trump.
“Just a light, tentative and rather polite touch to steer Charles inside,” James added.
She noted that the handshake between the two lasted approximately eight seconds and seemed businesslike, while Melania brought a more relaxed vibe to the greeting.
“This initial greeting ritual gave the surface impression of geniality, and the cheek kisses from Melania created the impression of warmth, with an almost “family” style approach,” James said.
This isn’t the first instance of Trump seemingly disregarding royal protocol with British monarchs.
During a state visit to the UK in July 2018, he was caught on camera turning his back on the Queen and striding ahead of her as they walked past the troops.
He also seemed to break protocol during his visit to London last year, when he grabbed Charles above the elbow.
The King and Queen’s state visit comes hot on the heels of a security breach at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where a suspect fired gunshots in an alleged assassination attempt.
Despite this, the visit has proceeded and the couple have a full itinerary.
On Tuesday, Charles will address Congress, marking only the second time a British monarch has done so, the first being his mother in 1991.
